Simplify. Simplify.

A friend recently shared with me the somewhat ironic quote by the Walden Pond author, Henry David Thoreau, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”

At the end of the year many of us seek peace from the stress and clutter of the holidays and look to ways to minimize and simplify. This is not how I roll. At the end of the year my mind is spinning (even more than normal) with ideas, plans, post-its, lists and dreams. I want to maximize my time, my relationships and perhaps my thrifted shoe collection, not watch Marie Kondo and think about keeping life streamlined.

My busy mind is a both a gift and a burden. I have a hard time making friends and being in groups, and I have a really hard time relaxing or having fun, as I always feel like I should be doing something with my hands or with my mind. Hence, the significant amount of books I have read this year (see my recent recommendations here) and significant amount of vegetarian food that comes out of my kitchen on Sunday afternoons.

This past year I was given a great gift – that of a new group of friends and teachers through the Banff Centre of Arts and Creativity Cultural Leadership program. Although a significant amount of notebooks were filled, they have served as a reference that I refer to over and over, and undoubtedly will continue to do so forever. Through these teachings and through my friends in the arts and culture industry, I have compiled approximately 100 questions that should be pondered by every emerging (and seasoned) cultural leader in this country. In order to make it manageable for other busy minds, I will be sharing a few every week and hoping that other cultural leaders will not only post their own questions, but will share answers with me on Twitter, Instagram or through private messages.

Follow along with on Twitter @juliefossitt or on Instagram @juliefossitt and I will send out some updates via email every few months as well. Feel free to email me the questions that you think every cultural leader should ponder in 2020.

Thanks to all of my friends and colleagues who accept my busy mind and my aversion to simplification. Cheers to asking questions in the new year!